South Africans on social media trolled a statue they claimed resembled Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta rather than their country's head of state Cyril Ramaphosa.
The statue was unveiled in Limpopo, South Africa in 2018 but has kept on trending for years thereafter. In June 2019, Limpopo Sports, Arts and Culture Spokesperson Plantina Diala told TimesLIVE that the statue was real but not new as people claimed.
An emerging artist from Tshisaulu in Venda was credited with crafting the statue as a gesture of appreciation to President Ramaphosa.
"He was also trying to showcase his God-given talent. All these artworks are at the Matsila Royal Kraal and the Chief did not even pay a cent to this artwork.
“The statue was not a government initiative but that of our emerging artist who really needs to be supported for him to realise his dream of being an artist. How do I unveil the statue of the president without the involvement of the president himself?" Limpopo Member of Executive Council for Sports, Arts and Culture Thandi Moraka added.
On June 27, Daniel Marven, a South African radio presenter once again reposted a photo of the statue claiming that it was unveiled in Limpopo.
"This statue looks like Uhuru Kenyatta," Marven tweeted sparking mixed reactions online.
Most reactions claimed that the statue demeaned both Presidents. "This ain't Ramaphosa, Rams don't need no statues," one Londi jokingly quipped.
In Kenya, the photo went viral a few days later on social media pages, drawing mixed reactions here too.
"We should sue them for likening it to Uhuru," Dorine Anyieko joked and accompanied her remarks with a laughing emoji.
Ciku Linda claimed the statue resembled former South African President Jacob Zuma.
"These are pure jokes. Let them stop kidding. This isn't Uhuru," Trizer Morgan slammed.
"That country should be disbanded and everybody should go home. We can’t accept this," Staki Tabu Nanii (pseudonym) added with several laughing emoji tagged alongside the response to the viral photo.
